Vaithilingam Sornalingam
Encyclopedia
Vaithilingam Sornalingam (September 1949 - September 26, 2001; , alternative spellings include Vythilingam Sornalingam; often referred to by his nom de guerre Colonel Shankar) was founder of the air wing and marine division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
and a relative of Velupillai Prabhakaran
. He was educated in Sri Lanka, and worked for some time in Canada
before returning to Sri Lanka and joining the LTTE.
and later as a boarding student at Hartley College
in Point Pedro
, Sri Lanka
between 1959 and 1969. While there, he lived in Thamotheram House, and proved himself a talented sportsman, representing the college in cricket
and football. He then went on to the Hindustan Institute of Engineering Technology in Chennai, where he studied aeronautical engineering. Some time after completing his studies, he moved to Montreal
, Canada
, where he worked for Air Canada
; while there, he was known to have become involved with the LTTE as early as 1973. Though he did not formally become a member of the LTTE at that time, he assisted in setting up their Office of Overseas Purchases, which was responsible for acquiring communications equipment, ships, radar, and armaments.
, Sornalingam moved to Chennai
in July 1983, and from there went back to Sri Lanka; upon his return, he chose to become a full time member of the LTTE, and began his rise through the ranks. He participated in a gun battle near the Tamil Information Centre in Chennai
in 1985 in which he and his colleagues kidnapped the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
military commander Kannan; Kannan was later exchanged by the LTTE for Pottu Amman
, who had been kidnapped earlier by the PLOTE. During these years, three of his brothers who were involved with the LTTE died: Manoharan committed suicide by cyanide
after his capture by the Sri Lankan navy; Vaseekaran, alias "Lieutenant Siddharth", died in a bomb blast when preparing for an attack in Mannar
and a third brother was arrested by Sri Lankan forces and presumed dead after no further news was heard of him. In 2000, Sornalingam accompanied Prabhakaran in his meeting with Norwegian envoy Erik Solheim
, acting as an interpreter; he and political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan
were the only ones whom Prabhakaran trusted closely enough to accompany him to that meeting.
Sornalingam was killed by a claymore mine on September 26, 2001 at around 10:45 AM in the jungle near Vanni
, while driving alone from Oddusuddan
to Puthukkudiyiruppu
. Sornalingam's killing was part of a series of attempts around the same time on the lives of LTTE leaders, including Gangai Amaran
and S. P. Thamilselvan
; An LTTE press release a few hours after his death attributed the attack to a special deep penetration unit of the Sri Lankan army, and claimed that the date of his killing had been chosen deliberately to coincide with the anniversary of the death of Thileepan, who had died 14 years earlier in a hunger strike protesting the policies of the Sri Lankan government and the Indian Peace Keeping Force
. Government newspapers denied the LTTE's charges and instead attributed the attacks to an alleged internal power struggle in the LTTE. His funeral was held at the Great Heroes' Commemorative Hall in Mulliyawalai
; he is survived by his elder brother, a doctor in the United Kingdom
. The book ATM Interworking in Broadband Wireless Applications was also dedicated in his memory.
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
and a relative of Velupillai Prabhakaran
Velupillai Prabhakaran
Thiruvenkadam Velupillai Prabhakaran was the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a militant organization that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka...
. He was educated in Sri Lanka, and worked for some time in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
before returning to Sri Lanka and joining the LTTE.
Early life
Sornalingam was born in September 1949, the second of six sons. He studied at the Tamil Maha Vidyalayam in VanniVanni (Sri Lanka)
The Vanni is the name given to the mainland area of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It covers the entirety of Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya Districts, and most of Kilinochchi District. It has an area of approximately 7,650 km2...
and later as a boarding student at Hartley College
Hartley College
Hartley College is a boys private school in Point Pedro, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1838 by British Methodist missionaries. The school is named after Wesleyan priest and missionary Rev. Hartley.-History:...
in Point Pedro
Point Pedro
Point Pedro is the northernmost town of the island of Sri Lanka. The agriculturally active area around Point Pedro with fertile calcic red latosols is known for its cotton production. The eastern coast of Point Pedro is a 3-mile-broad beach with huge sand dunes up to 100 feet height, extending...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
between 1959 and 1969. While there, he lived in Thamotheram House, and proved himself a talented sportsman, representing the college in cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and football. He then went on to the Hindustan Institute of Engineering Technology in Chennai, where he studied aeronautical engineering. Some time after completing his studies, he moved to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where he worked for Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
; while there, he was known to have become involved with the LTTE as early as 1973. Though he did not formally become a member of the LTTE at that time, he assisted in setting up their Office of Overseas Purchases, which was responsible for acquiring communications equipment, ships, radar, and armaments.
LTTE membership
From MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Sornalingam moved to Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
in July 1983, and from there went back to Sri Lanka; upon his return, he chose to become a full time member of the LTTE, and began his rise through the ranks. He participated in a gun battle near the Tamil Information Centre in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
in 1985 in which he and his colleagues kidnapped the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
The People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam is a former Tamil militant group. It is currently a pro-government paramilitary group and political party. PLOTE's political wing is known as the Democratic People's Liberation Front.-Origins:...
military commander Kannan; Kannan was later exchanged by the LTTE for Pottu Amman
Pottu Amman
Shanmugalingam Sivashankar Shanmugalingam Sivashankar Shanmugalingam Sivashankar (Tamil: சன்முகலிங்கம் சிவசங்கரன், also known as Pottu Amman (Tamil: பொட்டு அம்மான் is a Sri Lankan Tamil militant...
, who had been kidnapped earlier by the PLOTE. During these years, three of his brothers who were involved with the LTTE died: Manoharan committed suicide by cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
after his capture by the Sri Lankan navy; Vaseekaran, alias "Lieutenant Siddharth", died in a bomb blast when preparing for an attack in Mannar
Mannar, Sri Lanka
Mannar , formerly spelled Manar, is the capital of Mannar District, Sri Lanka. It is located on Mannar Island.Mannar is known for its baobab trees and for its fort, built by the Portuguese in 1560 and taken by the Dutch in 1658 and rebuilt; its ramparts and bastions are intact, though the interior...
and a third brother was arrested by Sri Lankan forces and presumed dead after no further news was heard of him. In 2000, Sornalingam accompanied Prabhakaran in his meeting with Norwegian envoy Erik Solheim
Erik Solheim
Erik Solheim is a Norwegian politician for the Socialist Left Party . He holds two posts in the current Norwegian cabinet, and carries the title Minister of the Environment and Minister of Development Cooperation...
, acting as an interpreter; he and political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan
S. P. Thamilselvan
Suppayya Paramu Thamilselvan, commonly known as S. P. Tamilselvan, , was the leader of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, an organisation fighting for a separate state for the ethnic Tamil minority in northern Sri Lanka from majority Sinhalese govt...
were the only ones whom Prabhakaran trusted closely enough to accompany him to that meeting.
Sornalingam was killed by a claymore mine on September 26, 2001 at around 10:45 AM in the jungle near Vanni
Vanni (Sri Lanka)
The Vanni is the name given to the mainland area of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It covers the entirety of Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya Districts, and most of Kilinochchi District. It has an area of approximately 7,650 km2...
, while driving alone from Oddusuddan
Oddusuddan
Oddusuddan or Ottisuddan is a town in the Mullaitivu District, Sri Lanka. Some say in Tamil Oddu-suddan translates to 'roof-tile-making-place'. It is located nearly halfway between Mankulam and Mullaitivu on highway A34.- See also :...
to Puthukkudiyiruppu
Puthukkudiyiruppu
Puthukkudiyiruppu may refer to:*Puthukkudiyiruppu , town in Mullaitivu District, Sri Lanka*Puthukkudiyiruppu , town in Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka...
. Sornalingam's killing was part of a series of attempts around the same time on the lives of LTTE leaders, including Gangai Amaran
Gangai Amaran
Gangai Amaran is a Music director, Lyricist, Script writer, Actor and Film director in Tamil films. He is the younger brother of noted music director Ilayaraaja and father of actors Venkat Prabhu and Premji Amaren.-As script writer:...
and S. P. Thamilselvan
S. P. Thamilselvan
Suppayya Paramu Thamilselvan, commonly known as S. P. Tamilselvan, , was the leader of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, an organisation fighting for a separate state for the ethnic Tamil minority in northern Sri Lanka from majority Sinhalese govt...
; An LTTE press release a few hours after his death attributed the attack to a special deep penetration unit of the Sri Lankan army, and claimed that the date of his killing had been chosen deliberately to coincide with the anniversary of the death of Thileepan, who had died 14 years earlier in a hunger strike protesting the policies of the Sri Lankan government and the Indian Peace Keeping Force
Indian Peace Keeping Force
Indian Peace Keeping Force was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990...
. Government newspapers denied the LTTE's charges and instead attributed the attacks to an alleged internal power struggle in the LTTE. His funeral was held at the Great Heroes' Commemorative Hall in Mulliyawalai
Mulliyawalai
Mulliyawalai or Mulliyavalai is a town in the Mullaitivu District, Sri Lanka. Vidyananda College is located in this town....
; he is survived by his elder brother, a doctor in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The book ATM Interworking in Broadband Wireless Applications was also dedicated in his memory.